Marc Bookal -- Found Deceased 3/24/10 -- Cory Byrd Sentenced 50 Years To Life In Prison

Police search for missing Newburgh boy, charge mother's boyfriend



NEWBURGH — Police charged a man with endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly let a 4-year-old boy he was watching wander off unattended.

The boy still is missing and has not been seen since Monday afternoon, police said.
The man police charged, Cory Byrd, 30 is the boyfriend of the boy’s mother and lives with at Benkard Avenue in Newburgh with both of them, police said.

Byrd was also charged with violating parole.

Police said the missing boy’s name is Marc Bookal. He is black, 3 feet 6 inches tall, has brown hair, brown eyes and weighs approximately 42 pounds.

Police said Bookal was last seen at home by a caretaker at 1 p.m. Monday. A short while later, the front door was found open. The child has not been seen since, said city police Sgt. Paul Weber.

Weber said the boy was last seen wearing a red long-sleaved shirt, white Nike sneakers and grey sweatpants. He has a medium length afro hairstyle and has skin discolorations from a previous burn injury.

Anyone with information may call the City of Newburgh Police Department at: 845-561-3131.

The Journal typically doesn't print the names of those charged with misdemeanors.

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20091215/NEWS05/91215007

violating parole??

what is wrong with these women who allow these "men" around their children??

skin discoloration from a previous burn injury?? i think there will be much more to learn from this "mother" about the care of this child... sounds to me like an ongoing problem that was not addressed properly.

thanks for posting this story J4A.

It gets worse:(

Byrd was arrested in 1998 after his own son was hospitalized with a fractured skull, broken ribs, a broken wrist and perferated liver. He was charged with reckless endangerment after a number of inconsistaces in his story. This time, he remains in custody, has asked for a lawyer and is not talking.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=7171531

It is unfortunate that so many children are left in the care of boyfriends with a history of violence. I pray that Marc is found safe.

OMG!!!

JAG- thanks for the info. sounds like this man should have NEVER been permitted around children again!! maybe that is what his parole violation was.

oh my, i just visited the link provided, and this "man" was the one watching the little boy when he was burned. GEEZE, i didnt think it could sound any worse, and there it does.

Yes, and his mother is defending the boyfriend....surprise. She said his son had swallowed a Jolly Rancher piece of candy in 1998 and all he did was perform the Heimlich maneuver, then she added, which you are not supposed to perform on a child. She believed the boyfriend's story, another surprise. What a sweet little innocent boy.

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/December09/16/Bookal_update1-16Dec09.htm

Police Chief Eric Paolilli said the search, which has included bloodhounds from the Westchester Department of Public Safety, had concentrated for the last two days in the area of 11 Benkard Avenue, the home of the little boy.

The chief said as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the focus of the search is the area along the river. Resources from city and state police and K-9 units from both agencies and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are being use.

A cadaver dog searched the waterfront and turned up nothing, a state trooper said.

There were reports earlier that his shoes had been found, but police are now saying that info was not correct.

Thanks for the update Jag. I hope Marc is found soon, and I hope the boyfriend didn't do anything to him.

6 days missing:(

An anonymous donor has offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the safe return of 4-year-old Marc Anthony Bookal.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091219/NEWS/912199994

Divers search the Hudson for missing Newburgh boy



NEWBURGH – State and Newburgh Police divers were in the Hudson River off Newburgh Monday looking for any clues as to the whereabouts of Marc Bookal, the 4-year-old boy reported missing on December 14. It was the second day in a row that divers searched the river.

Police have searched buildings, basements, sewers and fields in the area of his Benkard Avenue home. They also conducted extensive searches with K-9s along the Hudson River shoreline.

Police Lt. Charles Broe said the unknown whereabouts of the child is unnerving.

“I know it’s frustrating from a law enforcement perspective; I cannot imagine how the family feels. None of us can unless we’ve been through it, I don’t think any of us can imagine how they are feeling,” he said. “I am hoping for the best, but I think we need to prepare for whatever happens.”

The boy’s biological parents have taken, and passed, polygraph tests. The mother’s boyfriend, Cory Byrd, remains in the Orange County Jail on a probation violation and a charge of endangering the welfare of a child. He was with the boy when he disappeared.

Byrd has refused to take a lie detector test.

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/December09/29/Bookal_search-29Dec09.html

Missing Newburgh boy's mom wants more info
Cops fear harming their investigation


Christine Bookal gets a hug Monday from her 5-year-old son Matthew, whose 4-year-old brother, Marc, disappeared before Christmas.


CITY OF NEWBURGH — Christina Bookal's 4-year-old son disappeared two weeks ago, and she's frustrated with police.

She wants to know where they're searching, what leads they're following and how they're proceeding with the investigation. She said she calls the department every day, asking for details.

"They can't tell me anything," Christina Bookal said.

Marc Bookal disappeared on Dec. 14. He was in the care of Bookal's boyfriend, 30-year-old Cory Byrd, who told police the little boy slipped out a side door of his Newburgh home and vanished. Law enforcement agencies throughout the region joined city police in the search.

Byrd was arrested on charges of child endangerment, and detectives began questioning people while officers and police canines began a methodical search of the southeast section of Newburgh.

Christina Bookal said they should have been more thorough and aggressive from the start.

"If it were one of theirs, they'd have the whole ... town flipped upside down," she said.

Lt. Charles Broe said detectives speak to Christina Bookal but can't share all the investigation details. Passing out information, even to relatives, comes with a risk that sensitive details could leak to the public, sending skittish sources underground or otherwise harming the investigation.

Broe spoke on Monday as teams of city and state police divers felt their way through the water along the Hudson River shoreline. He said police had divided southeast Newburgh into 81 grids and searched every one with officers and dogs.

Bloodhounds from Westchester picked up Marc's scent near the industrial sites along the water and followed it all the way to his apartment door. Donors have offered a $26,000 reward. Still, Marc remains missing.

"It's harder because he's 4 years old," Broe said. "I've got kids. A lot of cops working this case have families."

Christina Bookal says someone out there knows something. She hopes their conscience forces them forward.

To report any information about Marc Bookal's whereabouts, contact City of Newburgh police at 561-3131 or Crime Stoppers at 866-313-8477.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091229/NEWS/912290307/-1/NEWS

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100108/NEWS05/100108014/New-information-leads-police-to-restart-search-for-missing-Newburgh-boy

New information leads police to restart search for missing Newburgh boy

NEWBURGH — Police have resumed the search for a 4-year-old Hudson Valley boy last seen Dec. 14.

Newburgh police called off the search for Marc Anthony Bookal earlier this week, saying they covered the areas they wanted to check. But police spokesman Lt. Charles Broe says a smaller search team began rechecking some areas around the boy's apartment today based on new information. Broe could not elaborate on the information.

The boy lived with his mother and her boyfriend. Police say the boyfriend, Cory Byrd, was caring for Bookal when he disappeared from their apartment some 60 miles north of New York City.

Byrd was jailed on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and on a parole violation. Police aren't calling Byrd a suspect.

Broe says police will search again on Saturday.

Search for missing Newburgh boy enters fifth week

NEWBURGH – Police continue to aggressively investigate the disappearance of Marc Bookal, 4, who went missing from his mother’s 11 Benkard Avenue, Newburgh home on December 14.

Police were back at it Saturday, searching for any clues as to the boy’s whereabouts. Police may resume their ground search Monday, but regardless, detectives have been working daily looking for clues in an effort to find the boy.

On Saturday, a dozen people searched the area around the boy’s home at 11 Benkard Street, including Newburgh City Police, State Police uniform and K-9 and the Ramapo Search and Rescue Association.

Saturday was the second day of renewed ground searching with no new leads developed, Police Lt. Charles Broe said.

Bookal was under the care of his mother’s boyfriend, Cory Byrd, when he walked out the front door. Byrd remains in the Orange County Jail on a probation violation and a charge of endangering the welfare of a child. He has refused to take a lie detector test.

Earlier searches for young Marc were along the Newburgh waterfront and in the Hudson River itself.

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/January/11/Bookal_search-11Jan10.html

Defense demands evidence in Newburgh's missing-child case
January 16, 2010 - 2:00 AM


Prosecutors say they'll explain Tuesday why they oppose releasing evidence against Cory Byrd, shown leaving Newburgh City Court Friday, who's charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

CITY OF NEWBURGH — Cory Byrd's lawyer pressed a demand to see the evidence against his client in City Court Friday morning.

But the Orange County District Attorney's Office is opposing that request. They're also considering whether to take the case to a grand jury.

Byrd was in charge of Marc Anthony Bookal when the 4-year-old boy disappeared from his Benkard Avenue home a month ago. Byrd is the boyfriend of Christina Bookal, Marc's mother.

Byrd has neither been charged nor named as a suspect in the disappearance, but he was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, and violation of parole. But those charges were not discussed in court Friday. Instead, the focus was on a document known as a "demand to produce" filed by Byrd's lawyer, Gary Greenwald.

The document lists more than 31 items, including search warrants, results of urine samples, even a copy of the arrest report.

Greenwald said although the district attorney's office has 90 days to decide whether to go to the grand jury, that shouldn't stand in the way of his seeing the evidence.

Executive Assistant District Attorney David Huey wouldn't comment on the reasons for opposing the demand, but said they'll all be spelled out to the court in writing Tuesday.

City Court Judge B. Harold Ramsey said he'll rule on the demand Jan. 25.

City police have said that the investigation into Marc Anthony Bookal's disappearance is continuing.

But Christina Bookal, who remains convinced the boy is still alive, said after attending Byrd's court appearance that she's not satisfied that all possible steps are being taken. She continued to criticize police for focusing on Byrd.

"I'm quite sure there are plenty of people who saw something," she said. "My 4-year-old is out there somewhere. Bring my son home."

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100116/NEWS/1160323/-1/rss01

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/March/24/Bookal_searchresumes-24Mar10.htm

His little body was recovered today. Stuffed inside a book bag.

Enough already!

This is happening way too much. So sad.

Rest in Peace Marc.

Human remains found; police believe they are of Marc Bookal

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

NEWBURGH – Police in Newburgh have found human remains of a young child and they believe they are that of Marc Bookal, the 4-year-old Newburgh boy, who disappeared last December.

Police Chief Eric Paolilli said the body was found by a State Police cadavor search team in a wooded area of the city.

The boy's mother, Christine Bookal, has been notified that the body is likely that of her son.

She told MidHudsonNews.com that police told her the body was found inside a large book bag. "It looks like one of his," she said.

Read more:
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/March/24/Bookal_searchresumes-24Mar10.htm

Another little life taken so unnecessarily.

This is the outcome far too often. It looks like Marc is another innocent victim of a mother's abusive boyfriend. Maybe now the police can charge Byrd for this crime, and hopefully Marc's mother will quit criticizing the police for focusing on Byrd.

I am sick over this. But it does not surprise me that he was found so close to home. I just cannot figure out what blinds these mothers in regards to the safety and well being of their children. In so many of these cases, previous abuse is there and they overlook it! They make excuses! I'm so sorry this sweet, trusting little boy's life was snuffed out with violence and his body stuffed in a damn duffle bag. Bless you little Marc.

Quote from Snaz's post above:

She told MidHudsonNews.com that police told her the body was found inside a large book bag. "It looks like one of his," she said.

looks like one of whose? Little Marc or the boyfriend?

I can't see a little 4 y/o having a book bag. Or did she mean the perp?

My question as well, Marc's or boyfriend's? Did she not notice it was gone?

oh she probably noticed it was gone, but why mention it to anyone when she was so busy and preoccupied w/ defending the bf??
I saw the clips of her previous interview last night w/ NG and how she excused away his previous charges for nearly killing the 14(?) mon. old - a lacerated liver?? and multiple broken bones from doing the Heimlich??? what do they think we are, idiots???
Don't ya'll find it odd that most of these bf/killers ALWAYS come up w/ a story where they are being heroic and the child accidentally died or was severely injured during their act of heroism?? MAKES ME SICK!!!

I read in one of the posted articles where Crystal has been in touch with Byrd as recently as two weeks ago.

Poor Marc never stood a chance with this "mother".

I figured she had stayed in contact with the POS.

Tish, I saw those old video clips as well. She didn't miss a beat defending him. I remember seeing it when it first aired and I thought, my god, how can you dismiss the seriousness of your child's injuries!! It is sickening. I will never be able to understand it.

i PRAY that this mother is charged and convicted for HER ROLE in this childs death.

maybe she didnt kill him herself, but she might as well have signed his death order by leaving him with a POS that has a history of beating (nearly killing) babies!!

IMHO we need to get tough on these "mothers" that are either too stupid, or too self-centered to keep their children ALIVE for crying out loud. -- maybe a stiff prison sentence will be worse to them than losing the "man" in their life. lord knows the threat of losing their children is not doing the trick.

this is yet ANOTHER example as to WHY there should be an application to become a parent. i am SICK of this CRAP!!!

Autopsy results not back, but police believe body that of missing boy

March 25, 2010

NEWBURGH – Given the fact that there have been no other missing children in Newburgh in recent months, Newburgh City Police Chief Eric Paolilli Thursday afternoon said it is likely the body found in a wooded area Wednesday is that of Marc Bookal, the 4-year-old who went missing in early December of last year.

An autopsy was continuing Thursday afternoon, but the chief said the body was that of a young boy.

Details of the investigation, including how long the body was in the woods and cause of death, have not been disclosed.

The body was found in a vinyl book bag by a State Police cadaver dog in an area the police had extensively searched during the intensive investigation for weeks after Marc disappeared.

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/March/25/Bookal_update-25Mar10.htm

Positive ID on child’s body could take a month

March 26, 2010

NEWBURGH – There have been no other missing children in Newburgh in recent months, Newburgh City Police Chief Eric Paolilli Thursday afternoon said it is likely the body found in a wooded area Wednesday is that of Marc Bookal, the 4-year-old who went missing in early December of last year.

An autopsy was continuing Thursday afternoon, but the chief said all they can confirm is that the body was that of a young boy.

DNA tests will be needed to confirm the identity, and that can take a month, or more.

“We have in our own minds come to the reality that since we do not have any other reports of any other missing children in the city or, in fact, in any kind of proximity that would lend credibility that this might be anybody else, that we have come to that conclusion; however, we cannot confirm that. That is not a certainty,” the chief said.

Details of the investigation, including how long the body was in the woods and cause of death, have not been disclosed.

The body was found in a vinyl book-type bag by a State Police cadaver dog in an area the police had extensively searched during the intensive investigation for weeks after Marc disappeared. The chief said it appeared to the investigating officers that the body was “purposely secreted there.”

Paolilli said Corey Byrd, the boyfriend of Marc’s mother, is a “person of interest.” He said “logic dictates” the investigation is going to lead to Byrd, the last person to see Marc alive.

Byrd, who still won’t talk to authorities, remains in the Orange County Jail on a parole violation.

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/March/26/Bookal_body-25Mar10.html

Right on Randilynn!

Cory Byrd sentenced to 50 years to life in murder of Marc Bookal

By Heather Yakin
Times Herald-Record

GOSHEN – Cory Byrd was sentenced Thursday to 50 years to life in prison for the murder of 4-year-old Marc Bookal and for disposing of his body .

Byrd was alone with Marc, the son of Byrd's then-girlfriend, when the boy disappeared in December 2009. The child; body was found three months later, stuffed inside a book bag and playpen bag from the family's apartment. Marc's remains were found hidden under a dense brush pile in a vacant lot just a few blocks from the home. A jury convicted Byrd on Jan. 26 of reckless, depraved-indifference murder and two felony counts of tampering with physical evidence.

Read more: http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120308/NEWS/120309798